Meaning & use
HGV
Last updated
UK/ˌeɪtʃ dʒiː ˈviː/
US/ˌeɪtʃ dʒiː ˈviː/
Meaning
abbreviationcountableBritish
Short for heavy goods vehicle, a large truck used to carry freight on roads.
Grammar: Countable: an HGV, two HGVs. Read as the letters H, G, V.
Patterns
- HGV driver
- HGV licence
An HGV blocked the narrow lane for twenty minutes.
The town banned HGVs from the high street at night.
He trained for a year to get his HGV licence.
Word forms
| plural | HGVs |
|---|
Common combinations
- HGV driver
- She works as an HGV driver across Europe.
- HGV licence
- You need a special HGV licence to drive a lorry that big.
- HGV ban
- Residents asked for an HGV ban on the village road.
- HGV parking
- The motorway services has extra HGV parking.
- HGV traffic
- HGV traffic increased after the new factory opened.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lorry
- Lorry is the everyday British word for a large truck, while HGV is the official or regulatory term.
- truck
- Truck is the standard American word and also covers smaller vehicles that HGV would not include.
- articulated lorry
- Articulated lorry names a specific type with a separate trailer, while HGV covers any heavy goods vehicle.
- semi
- Semi is American slang for a tractor-trailer and has no official sense.
Word family
Commonly confused: HGV or HGV vs PSV?
HGV vs HGV vs PSV
An HGV carries goods, whereas a PSV, public service vehicle, carries passengers, like a bus.
Practice
In Britain, which vehicle would normally be called an HGV?
Choose one answer.
HGV stands for heavy goods vehicle, so it means a large freight lorry. A minibus carries passengers, not goods.
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